Four Tough Years
I would buy this book. This unit has had some of its heroes appear on this blog, notably Lt. Col. Terrence Crowe. Sgt. 1st Class Gary Villalobos, attached to Col. Crowe’s command, won a Silver Star.
Jim Memmott, Senior editor, Democrat & Chronicle
The plan at first was to put together a yearbook, a collection of pictures and stories that would serve as a reference and record of the recent activities of the 98th Division (Institutional Training), U.S. Army Reserve.
But “yearbook” is too limited a word to describe what Lt. Col. Timothy Hansen and Sgt. Maj. Jocene Preston have almost completed.
They have chronicled the varied activities of the division since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
In the process, they have put together an account that documents risks and dangers and successes.
“The stories here had to be told,” says Hansen, of Brighton. “We can’t keep this light under a bushel.”
Putting the 11-chapter book together wasn’t easy. Pictures were collected; soldiers were interviewed; timelines were checked and checked again.
But the effort was worth it, Hansen and Preston say, as it not only provided a record of the division’s missions, it allowed them to step back and see how much the division has accomplished in four years.
No publication date has been set, but they hope each member of the division will receive a free copy of the book, to be called An Encounter with History, by March.
An Encounter with History: The 98th Division (Institutional Training) and the Global War on Terrorism 2001-2005, is funded by the division and primarily intended for the more than 3,000 soliders in the division.
Each soldier will receive a copy.
Lt. Col. Timothy Hansen did most of the writing in the book. Sgt. Maj. Jocene Preston did the design and graphics. Hansen isn’t sure whether the book will be available to the public, though there’s a possbility some copies could be placed in libraries.
